Melissa Palank

City of Bloomington Plastic Busters

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
899 Total

Participant Impact

up to

10

pounds of CO2

have been saved
up to

65

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
up to

0.3

pounds

packaging waste avoided
up to

18

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Melissa's Actions

On-the-go

Assemble a Zero Waste Kit

I will assemble and/or use a to-go bag with cloth napkins and reusable utensils, containers, and cups to avoid disposable to-go containers and cutlery for 1 of my household members.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Avoid Harmful Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polyvinyl, polystyrene and polycarbonate (#3,#6 and #7).

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

On-the-go

Visit a packaging-free store

I will visit a co-op or zero waste store to check out my local options for bulk products and plastic-free items.

Completed
One-Time Action

On-the-go

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

On-the-go

Use A Reusable Mug or Collapsible Cup

I will avoid sending 2 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or bringing my own collapsible cup.

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Shop the Bulk Bins

Each trip to the grocery store I will purchase 1 products from the bulk section using my own containers.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Plan a Garden

I will plan an herb or vegetable garden for next year at my home, workplace, or community garden.

Completed
One-Time Action

Personal Care

Switch to a natural loofah or wash cloth

I will replace my synthetic loofah with a natural loofah or wash cloth.

Completed
One-Time Action

Personal Care

Switch to compostable floss

I will switch to compostable floss in a reusable container.

Completed
One-Time Action

Pets

Prepare Homemade Treats

I will prepare my own pet treats to avoid plastic packaging.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Reflection Question
Personal Care Switch to compostable floss

Flossing is a hard habit to maintain for a lot of people! Does making your flossing routine more sustainable give you motivation to keep up this notoriously difficult habit?

Melissa Palank 2/14/2023 10:29 AM

When my next DDS appointment comes up in March, I am going to refuse the complimentary floss. I have been using a waterpik lately, which could go both ways. Yes, it is made with plastic and uses water, but I am reducing the amount of waste I produce by not using floss. It definitely makes you think about what truly makes something more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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Reflection Question
Food Shop the Bulk Bins

How has buying bulk impacted the quality of the food you receive? Why do you think our society relies more on prepackaged foods rather than buying in bulk?

Melissa Palank 2/14/2023 10:27 AM

This one will be a little harder for me to do - not only do I not shop very frequently, but a lot of things I buy are not in bulk. But I am thinking differently about how we can purchase our food and make snacks - as well as planning on visiting a tare store and see what options they have.

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Reflection Question
On-the-go Use A Reusable Mug or Collapsible Cup

Great job on getting rid of your disposable cup habit! How does it make you feel? Are there any situations where you still struggle to use a reusable mug?

Melissa Palank 2/01/2023 8:42 AM

If I am not able to use my own reusable cup/mug, there are some businesses that allow me to come back with the plastic cup provided in a previous visit (cleaned, of course) and use it again. I try to do this as much as possible so it is not a single source and when it can no longer be used, then I recycle. It is not a perfect solution, but every step towards plastic-free helps!

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Reflection Question
On-the-go Use Reusable Bags

How difficult was this action for you? What made it easy or difficult?

Melissa Palank 2/01/2023 8:40 AM

This is not a difficult task to complete as long as you are prepared with reusable bags if needed and let the store/restaurant know prior to them placing items in a bag. Also try to carry the items yourself without any bag.

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